


Out of Time

by bioplast_hero



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Non-Canon Relationship, Non-Canonical Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2018-07-27 03:41:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7602004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bioplast_hero/pseuds/bioplast_hero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lieutenant Commander Data and fellow crew members find themselves displaced from their timeline and struggling to find a way back to the reality they call home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Shortly before the accident, Data made a breakthrough discovery that he possesses innate android 'feelings,' previously overlooked in his quest to be more human. In the alternative universe, Data is grappling with his new awareness of these mental states, and adding to a program he has been writing that evokes human-style emotional responses as he interprets their meanings over time. 
> 
> The alternative universe crew of the Enterprise provide ample opportunity for Data to explore his emotions, passions, and the meaning of home.

“Captain. I’m reading two life signs onboard. One human, one Vulcan. Life support is critical."  
“Lock on transporter room, hold for my signal. Hail them, Mr. Worf.”   
“They are responding, sir."  
“On Screen."  
“Cannot establish visual, Captain. The shuttle’s onboard computer is severely damaged."  
“Audio channel, then—"  
“Open, sir."  
“This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the *USS Enterprise*. We are prepared to offer assistance. Please identify yourselves and your point of origin."  
“This is Lieutenant Commander Data of the… *USS Enterprise*, sir,” the android’s voice was unmistakable.  
Picard could not stop himself. “—Data! I… can’t believe this!”   
“I know, sir. There is much to discuss. I have with me Lieutenant T'var and Ensign Jake Kern. Our systems are critical, we no navigation control. Our shuttlecraft has just passed through a temporal anomaly and appears to be displaced in an alternate timeline."  
“That is our initial assessment as well, Commander. We will retrieve your shuttle with the tractor beam. We have the transporter locked onto your signals and we would like to bring you aboard immediately."  
"Aye, sir. We are standing by."  
"O'Brien, beam them directly to the Bridge—energize.”   
Riker looked at Picard significantly. “I'll find Geordi. Now." He strode to the turbo lift, doors closing just as the three displaced crewmen began to materialize on the bridge. 

Data was unable to shake the impression that the faces of the Bridge crew on the alternative *Enterprise* displayed an extremely varied range of suppressed emotion. He could not account for it. Lieutenant T'var was greeted with warmth by the senior officers who appeared to be acquainted with her in this timeline. They did not appear to know Ensign Kern at all; this was understandable, as he had only recently transferred to the *Enterprise* and was not a Bridge officer. Friendly introductions were made.  
All of the other Bridge officers Data knew were present, except Commander Riker whom he'd observed leaving, Lieutenant Commander La Forge, and himself. Perhaps the absence of the alternative Data in this welcoming party was deliberate choice, meant to avoid the temptation to exchange details of the two timelines. This theory didn’t satisfy him, however, since their arrival was completely without warning, leaving little time to deliberate over subtle matters.   
Data had come a long way in his study of human emotion, especially in recent weeks, and the situation presented a remarkable opportunity to further his study.  
Some of the officers Data knew openly stared at him, while others avoided his gaze. The Counselor’s face held an elusive combination of joy, trepidation, and sadness at once. Worf looked uncomfortable, perhaps suspicious, distrustful. Theory: the Klingon recognize him, but was perhaps not ready to accept Data as his friend and crewman. Captain Picard appeared distant, as if distracted by an unpleasant thought. The Captain forced a smile nonetheless and, hesitantly, placed a paternal-seeming hand on Data’s shoulder. “Welcome onboard, Mister Data."  
“Thank you, Captain.”   
“Will you brief us on your impression of this incident?"  
“Yes, sir—"  
“—And do try to avoid unnecessary detail regarding people and events in your timeline. We will do the same, in an attempt to minimize disruption of your timeline, and ours."  
“Agreed, sir,” he looked with significance around the room. Whatever was bothering everyone was unlikely to be considered ‘necessary detail’ and so Data was going to have to operate without the answers he so desired. Still, the matter was not easily set aside.  
“We’ll convene in the Conference Room immediately. Commander Uteri, you have the Bridge,” Picard addressed a Bridge officer Data did not know, a humanoid species he recognized as Denobulan.   
“Aye, sir.” Uteri displayed no discernible emotion.   
Before Data had taken a step, Counselor Troi inhaled sharply without apparent cause. A moment later the turbo lift doors opened, and the others seemed immediately to share in Troi's concerned expression as they observed Lieutenant Commander La Forge enter with Commander Riker close behind.  
“—Data?” Geordi’s voice sounded very strange to Data. Tentative, but hopeful. Contorted with more emotion than Data could process so quickly. “My God, Data, is it really you?"  
“Yes and no, Geordi... in a manner of speaking--"  
The Captain sounded extremely displeased. “La Forge, I trust Commander Riker briefed you on your way?"  
"Yes, Captain."  
"Well, then?"   
“Sir—"  
“—I will see you in my Ready Room, La Forge."  
Geordi pulled himself together with difficulty, and sighed in resignation. “Yes, Captain."  
Data knew something was wrong, that it very much concerned himself in this timeline, and that Geordi was somehow involved. But that was all that he could make of the puzzle for the moment.  
Geordi avoided Data’s concerned gaze as he passed, leaving Data with a familiar pang of regret. The three time travelers were directed to the Conference Room without a word. 

——

Picard turned and looked hard at La Forge as the Ready Room doors closed. He was no longer trying very hard to conceal his pique.  
“Mister La Forge, the alternative timeline is likely quite different from our own. We must discuss as little as possible if we are to successfully return these persons to their own timeline, unaltered."  
“I understand, sir—"  
"—T'var and her partner have agreed to stay clear of our guests from the other timeline. I see your situation as no different from that."  
"With all due respect sir, it seems different to me—"  
"La Forge."  
"I know, it’s just that…” La Forge was unable to finish.  
“Out with it, Geordi."  
La Forge straightened. “I just never expected to see him again. Surely you can understand how that makes me feel.”   
“This is why we asked that you to avoid contact—"  
“—Sir, you can’t honestly believe that I could stay away, could you?”   
Picard stiffened visibly. The fire left La Forge's nerves. He had been lost in the moment, not behaving at all like himself. The last twenty minutes had been almost too much for him to take.   
“I’m sorry, sir. I will pull it together, I assure you. I'm just so shocked! It—it hasn't sunk in. That it isn't really him, that it is someone else in a way," La Forge shuddered and looked at the floor. "If you order me to avoid contact, I will do as you say. I simply can’t… volunteer for it, sir. Besides, I think you may need my help with this problem."  
Picard tried to remain severe, but knew full well that something gentle broke through in his eyes. After all, this was a shock to every one of his senior officers—everyone who considered Data a friend. "Be careful, La Forge.”   
“Yes, Captain.” 


	2. Briefing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Data's new awareness of innate android emotions comes in handy as he faces his friends and fellow officers in an alternative timeline. Data insists that he must understand what has happened between Data and this crew, pushing Picard to breach protocol. Also, Data ponders Geordi's emotional reaction to reuniting with his friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lieutenant Commander Data and fellow crew members find themselves displaced from their timeline and struggling to find a way back to the reality they call home.
> 
> Shortly before the accident, Data made a breakthrough discovery that he possesses innate android 'feelings,' previously overlooked in his quest to be more human. In the alternative universe, Data is grappling with his new awareness of these mental states, and adding to a program he has been writing that evokes human-style emotional responses as he interprets their meanings over time.
> 
> The alternative universe crew of the Enterprise provide ample opportunity for Data to explore his emotions, passions, and the meaning of home.

"So, Mister Data, why don't you tell us how you found yourself here," Captain Picard gestured at the android officer before he had even taken his seat at the head of the conference room table.  
Data took the lead briefing the gathered senior officers on the shuttlecraft’s misadventure, beginning with their routine departure from their own Enterprise en route for an annual interstellar conference on subspace theoretics to be held in the nearby Modin system.  
"So," Riker put in, "you found trouble somewhere between this corridor and the conference on Modin V. Captain, we have confirmed that our own envoy to that conference made the journey safely. They can remain there as long as necessary while we determine whether there is a persistent threat."  
"Understood, Number One. Mister Data, continue."  
"We encountered the anomalous energy field at 1352 hours, two hours and fourteen minutes into our flight plan," Data reported with typical precision.  
"When our sensors picked it up, we were already on top of it," Kern added somewhat defensively, betraying a helmsman's sense of responsibility for their course into danger.  
"That is correct," Data affirmed. "We only detected the anomaly at the boundary of the event itself. The energy output of the field was almost entirely self-contained despite significant emissions across the EM spectrum."  
"A gravity well?" Picard suggested.  
"No, sir. The dynamics of the phenomenon will require further study, but I do not believe the anomaly itself had mass. Perhaps," Data hesitated, becoming aware that the very officers who were already out of their element were not likely to make much of any explanation Data might provide next.  
It occurred to him that he would normally be speaking mostly to Geordi La Forge about the technical details. Unlike Data, Geordi had a talent for capturing complex technical problems or their solutions with Terran metaphor, helping the others catch the main thrust of the technical conversation. La Forge, however, was studying the tabletop with no aid forthcoming. He couldn't be sure if the engineer was listening at all. Data tried not to linger on this oddity, but added it to a running list containing many other questions to be attended to later.  
Data shook his head and changed tack. "We will have to consider other possible forces that may be at work."  
Lieutenant T'var took her turn in the briefing.  
"As we were already caught within the boundary of the phenomenon, there was no opportunity to withdraw from it before our shuttlecraft lost navigation control. As we passed through the phenomenon we lost all primary and most secondary systems, and life support was failing," she announced dispassionately.  
Data nodded. "We spent twenty-nine minutes, eighteen seconds adrift before the *Enterprise* arrived. You came upon us at a fortuitous time, as we did not have the means to initiate a distress beacon, and atmosphere would have remained viable for only another twelve minutes."  
"Lucky indeed, Mister Data," Picard replied.  
"Our long-range sensors," Worf rumbled, "indicated a Federation shuttlecraft, apparently adrift." The Klingon seemed to imply they were inconvenienced in some way. Data could not account for the hostility in any other way.  
"Upon closer inspection," Picard continued, "we identified your craft's *Enterprise* designation. We came as soon as we could," he said gently, softening the edge of Worf's words.  
"I would like to examine all three of you in sickbay as a first priority," Doctor Crusher spoke from the far end of the long table. "There's no telling what effects this subspace distortion may have had on you. We should take a closer look to understand any risks."  
"Agreed, Doctor," Picard said. Considering something, the Captain activated his comm badge, "Picard to Uteri, can you join us for a moment."  
"*Aye, sir.*"  
"Captain,” Data turned his attention to Picard. "We will need to repair the shuttlecraft’s onboard systems. Additionally, I will need access to the *Enterprise's* computer and a research team. We may not be successful, but I believe we must make every effort to return to our own instance of reality."  
“Agreed, Commander. As much as we’d love to keep you, we will do everything in our power to assist you in a safe return journey to your proper timeline.”  
Picard surveyed the faces of his senior officers with significance. Uteri entered and sat at the table with them.  
"Mister Data, assemble your team—the entire compliment of the *Enterprise* is at your disposal. Commander Uteri can direct you to any science officers you may require.”  
Data inquired after several officers by name, particularly those he had observed with a strength in space-time theory, propulsion dynamics, and other relevant subspecialties. Some were present on the *Enterprise* in this reality and some were not. Uteri agreed with all of Data's selections, and recommended replacements for each of the non-present personnel.  
The Commander had identified himself as “a chief science officer.” Not *the* chief science officer, but it was implied. His rank corroborated Data’s suspicion. This man was most likely the Second Officer on this *Enterprise*, and had been onboard for some time.  
“I also request the assistance of Lieutenant Commander La Forge, if he is available.”   
Silence. Geordi stirred uncomfortably. The Captain and Commander Uteri nodded in ascent.  
“I believe that will be all the personnel we require. We will be ready to start immediately."  
“Very well, Mister Data. Keep me advised of your progress. We will notify Starfleet of our position and… necessary details of the unexpected mission. Dismissed.”   
Geordi moved so quickly to stand it was as though he was running from the room. Data, however, thought much more quickly than any human could move.  
“Captain, something else,” Data began, as the crew sank back into their chairs—all except Geordi who halted mid-stride as if frozen. He turned very slowly to face the conference, hovering against the wall as though he were the one who didn't belong there at all.   
"I feel I must ask why the crew is... uncomfortable with my presence here. Perhaps specifics can be avoided, but the nature of the issue may be relevant to successful interactions with the officers on this ship. I initially suspected that Data in this timeline was ordered to avoid an encounter with me, which I could understand logically. However, I believe that does not explain the emotions present here.”   
He received mute stares from most of the assembled group, and a wince from Deanna Troi.  
Data pressed on. “Is the officer Data no longer onboard the *Enterprise*?"  
He was met with complete silence.   
"I'm afraid I must find out the truth, Captain. Was Data responsible for some incident, some loss, that has resulted in grief, fear, even anger amongst this crew?"  
“Data, nothing like that at all. Now we cannot—"  
“You all know who I am; more than that, you know me well. You acknowledged my rank and several shared experiences as though our timelines were not so very different. With that being the case, I will not believe it was a routine transfer. Perhaps Commander Maddox won a suit to acquire him for research—"  
“—Commander," the Captain’s voice conveyed a warning which Data decided not to heed. Kern's clenched fist and T'var's averted gaze signaled they both disapproved of Data’s behavior towards the Captain, but Data would not be put off from his pursuit of the truth.  
“Did he commit a crime, sir? Some offense against this crew—"  
“—No."  
"A disobeyed order? A court martial—"  
“NO, Data, listen—"  
“—Then what, sir?"  
Frustrated, Picard blurted, “Commander Data, you are rather more demanding in your timeline than the man I remember!” The Captain realized his slip immediately, raising his hand to his forehead with regret.  
"Remember, sir?”   
“Data,” Picard’s voice betrayed a mixture of compassion and defeat. "I am going against my better judgement, Commander, but you leave me very little choice. I’m afraid you are far too... perceptive. If I didn’t know any better, I would say *intuitive*,” Picard very nearly voiced this as a question; this android’s clear perceptions of his crew's emotions had not escaped his notice, a subject which baffled their own Data to the very end.   
"And perhaps you are right that it can’t be avoided. After all, you may be here for a while,” the Captain looked torn between pain and hope. "We are... so very glad to see you, Data. It’s a bit like seeing a ghost. A year and a half ago there was an incident. You were… killed... in the line of duty. Data, I cannot and will not reveal more to you. Seeing you again has been a marvel to all of us. We’ve very much missed you.”  
Data looked at his friends. Tears stood in some of their eyes, but now they were smiling, too—relieved of a most painful pretense. This was a reunion none of them expected, and should they be successful it would be over too soon. Picard was telling the whole truth.  
Data scanned each face, storing the information for later study. What a remarkable thing, to observe his friends' emotions regarding his own death. He was not alarmed by the revelation as it was not in his nature to experience that kind of sentiment. It was all quite intriguing.   
He had to turn farthest to see his best friend, Geordi. Peripherally Data was aware that everyone rose to leave, T'var and Kern following Uteri to guest quarters. Uteri now introduced himself as Second Officer in this timeline. *My replacement.* Everything made so much more sense. 

Geordi leaned against the observation windows, arms wrapped around his chest as though holding himself together. Two trails of tears streaked his face; he held his breath now as though he would come apart if he inhaled.  
Data reconsidered the posture, the tension, protecting himself from a terrible pain that loomed. Geordi's emotions were powerful, devastating. Data experienced what he would call sadness for his friend’s loss, mingled with confusion at the violence of his grief.  
How could Data’s appearance now cause this man this much pain, eighteen months later? It stood apart from the reactions of the others who he understood considered him a friend.   
“Geordi?"  
His in-breath was everything at once—a gasp, a laugh, a sob. His chest heaved. “Hi Data."  
Data considered the best way to release his friend from this crucible, to avoid further damage. Any closeness, he conjectured, would cause Geordi more pain. Data deduced that Picard initially steered the engineer clear of the time travelers from the other *Enterprise* for this very reason. The Captain most certainly had Geordi’s best interests in mind, and Data trusted his wisdom in any reality.  
Data stood and spoke gently. “If you do not wish to see me, I will understand. It is not my wish to cause you pain—"  
“Shut up, Data,” Geordi snarled, and he rushed to close the distance between them.  
For several milliseconds Data could not guess whether he was about to be assaulted or embraced, but determined the worst possible response would be to flinch. It was not as though Geordi could cause him physical harm with his bare hands, whatever his intentions. The fact remained that Data had no idea what had happened between Geordi and Data in this reality, but he held his ground.   
Whatever Geordi needed right now, Data committed himself to provide it.  
At the last moment, it was clear this lunging motion was, indeed, an affectionate move. It was good to have an android’s reflexes when humans were so perplexing; in perfect time, he caught his friend in the kind of embrace that Geordi extended: aggressive, needy, cathartic. The movement was surprisingly effortless, with Data’s own complex experiences of their friendship welling up in his neural net. *I understand, Geordi,* he found himself thinking. *If I you were killed...* Data did not finish the thought, finding himself uncharacteristically at a loss for adequate words to convey such a loss.  
Data felt Geordi tremble and sob at his shoulder. Data held his friend tighter still, the embrace at once so natural and startlingly intimate.  
“I can’t believe you are here. You," Geordi muttered near his ear.  
“I am… as surprised as you, in a way,” the android offered.  
Geordi laughed and broke the embrace to face him. “I suppose so. You surprised the hell out of me..." He was still crying but seemed a bit stronger having made contact, confirming that there was indeed substance of what his VISOR showed him—not another miserable dream.   
Geordi stood back at arm's length to look at his friend, sighing deeply. "Ah, I’m sorry, you’re probably very confused. In fact, I probably shocked you."  
“Not really, Geordi. You are... the most important person to me in my time,” Data offered the most ambiguous truth he could manage, “and your response is... relatable.”   
Geordi held the silence, appearing lost in thought.  
Data regretted that he must return his attention to his crew mates from the shuttle and the problem of their dimensional displacement. However, patience was among Data's particular strengths. Recalling many lessons he had learned from his human friends, Data allowed the moment to hang there for a few more seconds. Geordi understood and released his grip on Data’s shoulders.  
“We had best get to work on this problem, Commander, and find you a way home."  
“Agreed.” 


	3. Sickbay

Data entered sickbay to rendezvous with his crewmen from the shuttle, with La Forge trailing behind him. T'var and Kern were sitting upright on examination beds being scanned by two members of the medical team. Commander Riker leaned nearby with arms crossed while Doctor Crusher asked the necessary questions.  
"And how did the distortion affect you as you moved through it?"  
"It nearly took me apart, I'll tell you that." Kern looked sick for a moment. He looked to T'var to elaborate.  
"Ensign Kern and I experienced severe nausea and disorientation." Even the Vulcan seemed somewhat unwell recalling the experience.  
"Understatement of the year," Kern quipped irritably. "At first, it was like a free fall, then I felt like I was spinning out of control. Only, the ship wasn't spinning. It may have been falling but it wasn't spinning."  
T'var continued, "I was then paralyzed by chest pain—"  
"—Yeah, I thought my heart stopped."  
"It appears that it did," Crusher said with a note of surprise, her eyes on a padd providing the results of their scans. "By these readings, I would guess that your hearts stopped for somewhere between 30 and 40 seconds."  
Kern groaned. "Barely lived through that, I guess."  
"On the contrary," T'var said, "a human in good health can remain in cardiac arrest for a full five minutes before the onset of irreversible brain damage. For a Vulcan, the possible interval is closer to seven minutes. It is, however, an excruciating experience, and the individual generally loses consciousness from the shock after little over one minute."  
"Comforting," Kern sneered.  
Beverly turned to acknowledge Data and La Forge who now stood at her side. "Geordi, glad you could join us as well. I don't suppose you were adversely affected, Mister Data?"  
"I am afraid that is not so, Doctor. I too was paralyzed until we moved through the anomaly." La Forge raised his eyebrows.  
"Paralyzed?" Crusher asked with concern.  
Data pondered a moment. "I am not sure how else to describe it, as it was a unique event in my experience. We appeared to encounter a gap in subspace as we left one timeline and entered the other. For an indeterminate duration, my neural net remained online but I could not process any information."  
"You've lost me, Data," Riker was the first to confess.  
"The principle is this: my positronic matrix uses the same principles as all faster-than-light computing and communications, acting on the physical dimension of subspace. My neural net relies on a continuous 'fabric' of subspace parallel to normal space in order to function. I believe we encountered a 'hole' in that fabric."  
"Whoa," La Forge sighed.  
"Indeed. The theoretical possibility of such gaps is widely acknowledged by 24th century physicists, but has never been experimentally verified." Data returned his attention to Riker. "Basically, Commander, I would have previously assumed that without the ability to process information, my consciousness would not be aware of the gap at all. I would not discover it until confronted with a discrepancy between my internal chronometer and another reliable record. However, I was very much aware of it." Data's voice belied discomfort.  
"How is that possible, Data?" Crusher inquired.  
"The answer lies in the organic/inorganic interface in my brain's anterior cortex. Unfortunately, the mystery of its function died with my creator."  
"I remember this," La Forge spoke up. "Data and I discussed this before he negotiated with the Konor zealots in the Samdian Sector. You see, he shares memory storage and computation capacity with computers. His ability to *think*, however, is more like a human brain than anything a computer could be made to do. Whatever occurs in his *mind* is, apparently, not reliant on subspace."  
"That appears to be the case, Geordi," Data replied, secretly marveling at the similarity of the timelines they inhabited. That precise conversation occurred in this timeline as it had in his own, over four years ago.  
"So Data's consciousness is not a function of FTL computing," T'var stated the logical conclusion, her face expressing fascination, "and how it works is not known?"  
"That's right," Geordi continued. "Even where it occurs is really just a theory. He can't isolate the part of his mind where thinking happens--it isn't any more observable to him than the working of our own minds is to us."  
Data turned to the engineer. "Geordi, I believe today's incident is an exception. I observed not where thinking occurred, but that it occurred without computation. I was unable to process information or store new memories, therefore I could not say now whether I had thoughts at the time--if I did they are lost, because they could not be stored. However, I experienced awareness for an undetermined length of time. Without discernible thoughts or sensory perceptions, I observed my mind operating in isolation." Data returned his attention to the group. "It is... not an experience I look forward to repeating."  
"I'm sorry, Data," Riker empathized. "You may have to."  
"I understand, sir. If we find a passage back to our reality, we will all have to face that again."  
"Likely the least of your concerns," La Forge said quietly. "We have no idea how to get you back there in the first place. Hopefully intact."  
Data considered something more. "Doctor, would you be able to compare bioscans of T'var from your reality with the T'var from ours?"  
"I was thinking I would, Data. But what would you have me looking for?"  
"Quantum flux in her RNA."  
Riker appeared baffled.  
"Allow me to explain, Commander. There is a theory in quantum physics that all possibilities that can happen, do happen, in alternate quantum realities. If there were a quantum fissure in the space-time continuum, it would be possible to move from one reality to another. I postulate that this is what happened to us. If we do indeed belong to another universe, a distinct quantum signature will be detectable in both T'var and Kern's cellular RNA, extending to the subatomic level. What is more, that signature is constant; it cannot be changed through any known process. Isolating that signature will not only confirm the nature of our predicament, but it may be necessary for locating our own reality again."  
"I'll see what I can do," Beverly replied.  
"Thank you, Doctor. Then, Geordi, there's another matter to investigate. When I regained full function onboard the shuttlecraft, I detected the scent of polymers melting. There appeared to be the remains of a fire in the rear of the shuttlecraft. We were preoccupied with the shuttle's failing systems and we did not have the opportunity to investigate the cause."  
"OK, Data, we'll check that out, too. First things first, come meet your team in science lab six. We should get everyone started." The engineer strode for the door.  
"We will be there shortly," Data said. He saw La Forge exit without acknowledging.  
The group broke into side conversations while Data's eyes remained fixed on the door for a few moments longer. Riker approached him over his shoulder.  
"You'll have to go easy on him, Data. He's been through a lot."  
Turning to meet his eyes, Data replied, "Do you have any advice, Commander?"  
"Just be his friend. I think you know how to do that, if you're really who we think you are," Riker smiled sadly. He patted Data's arm before leaving the android standing there as puzzled as he was before.

——

Science lab six was abuzz with activity when Data and T'var entered. Several officers introduced themselves to Data and even more took the opportunity to pose a preliminary question or theory as they explained to the senior mission officer their various initiatives. T'var joined a conversation with three officers discussing quantum reality theories, while Data walked on. Whatever came of this venture, the team was the best anyone could ask for.  
La Forge was assigning roles to a couple of human officers as Data approached. Turning to meet him, La Forge gestured in a circle with one hand, grasping for a memory. "Data, you said the energy output from the anomaly was *almost* self-contained, right? Could it be detected at a distance if we knew what we were looking for and recalibrate the sensors for the purpose?"  
"Possibly. I believe that should be among our first initiatives. I do not pretend to know whether we can return through the same anomaly to our own time, but determining if the event persists and if it might be stable would be a good place to start."  
"Alright, why don't you walk Sanderson and Novak through your impression of what you saw out there. They're the best in the fleet where subspace dynamics are concerned. I've got one of the civilian specialists at the Modin V conference ready to take a conference call at 0900 hours tomorrow. Her name is Doctor Sunora Devall, and space-time distortions are her specialty."  
"Marvelous. Thank you, Geordi."  
La Forge smiled, dropping his guard for a moment before he seemed to catch himself in the act. He straightened, replying with a neutral expression, "Don't mention it." He addressed the pair of officers he assigned to Data's priority initiative with a few more suggestions before he walked on.  
"If you need me, I'll be in shuttle bay four," La Forge said as he disappeared yet again. Data wanted to follow but felt he was wasting time chasing Geordi around the ship. One thing at a time.  
Within ten minutes, Data's badge chirped.  
*"La Forge to Lieutenant Commander Data."*  
"Data here."  
*"I think you have a new problem, sir. You had better join us in shuttle bay four."*


	4. Define Failure

Data’s eyes were trained on the object in Geordi's hands, something Jake Kern had produced from what remained of his melted luggage case. It was in bad shape, whatever it was: parts of the forward array were warped from extreme temperatures, circuitry visibly fused from a kind of overload. Geordi was shaking his head as he walked over, Ensign Kern following him nervously. Lieutenant T'var entered the bay shortly after Data.  
"Data, I wish I could see this as anything but bad news," the engineer sighed. The object that he held was part of a science experiment Kern had packed to bring to the conference. An apparently volatile experiment.  
Data looked at Ensign Kern inquiringly. "What does it do?"  
"It's a hand-built replica of Doctor Fimmei's dimensional resonance amplifier. He was a theoretical giant of propulsion research in the twenty-third century, but this device was his greatest, well, failure."  
"Jake, your definition of failure needs a little work," Geordi replied sarcastically. Data could not help but enjoy the familiar ascorbic humor that emerged when the engineer was deeply frustrated. He meant no real harm but Kern squirmed regardless.  
"Go on, Ensign," Data encouraged.  
"Fimmei's life work revolved around his theory on dimensional resonance drive. He theorized that hyperwarp travel could be achieved by vibrating the fabric of parallel quantum realities. If the resonance field was attenuated correctly, a craft could achieve maximum velocity by amplifying a warp bubble operating at a mere warp one, without impacting surrounding space-time."  
"You are referring to reaching the transwarp threshold," Data mused aloud.  
"Yes, warp 10," Kern confirmed.  
T'var chimed in, "It is theorized that the object traveling at that velocity occupies all points in the universe simultaneously. Arriving at its destination is merely a matter of dropping out of that velocity at the correct coordinates. Of course, there would be genetic mutation to contend with, but that is another matter."  
"I am aware of transwarp theory," Data said, "but Doctor Fimmei's method for reaching that velocity has not been supported by any credible science. There are other, more promising studies in progress. And warp 10 acceleration does not explain any of the phenomenon we have experienced."  
"That's right, Data," Jake Kern seemed a bit more spirited. "Fimmei died without any proof, and no one continued even the initial work he had begun. There was no point; he had never been able to produce any evidence of vibrating the fabric separating distinct realities in space-time. He couldn't explain even how you would measure those movements, other than by the results themselves!"  
"Dangerous experiment," Geordi tisked. Kern was ruffled, but determined it was best to glare at the floor rather than at the Chief Engineer.  
"Despite the support of many theoretical mathematicians, Fimmei's theoretical research vanished with no design support. And he would have needed that support—the engineering problems were formidable. Even with this prototype, nothing could be tested because no power source ever known to the Federation is even remotely sufficient to power his dimensional resonator. Even a century later, we have nothing that can power the thing! How could I have suspected it to be volatile?"  
Geordi nodded; the young man had him there.  
"In fact," Kern stood taller, trying to stick up for himself amongst the senior officers who continued to look at him accusingly, "I didn't even bring all of it. I have a draft design of a beam amplifier. Don't worry, it isn't assembled. With a sufficiently powerful pulse generator, the beam amplifier, and a focusing array that I haven't even begun to design, all together someone might be able to power up the dimensional resonator. _Might_. But that wasn't the point at all—I'm not interested in power sources. There's a more basic problem. I was bringing the resonator to the conference to ask for input on increasing the conductive transfer rate. Fimmei hadn't even begun to address the problem of capacitor load, even if he had a ready power source. He was a theorist, not an engineer."  
He was still met with silence.  
"Basically, sir," he sighed, "enough power to vibrate quantum dimensions would be more than enough power to short the whole thing out. It is... an impossible, but fascinating problem," Kern sighed painfully, "and damn it for working at all."  
Data was thoughtful.  
"Instead of vibrating the fabric of space-time to amplify speeds of travel, the energy field that activated the device overloaded it. It is plausible that the untested device produced any number of unintended effects. One of which may have been to cut a passage into another dimension of reality."  
"Punched a dimensional hole, at random, and tugged you through it," Geordi interpreted irritably.  
Data needed to cool everybody back down. "Geordi, I think—"  
"But Data, he's right," Kern confessed, "I haven't the faintest clue how to do it again. Even if we can reproduce the power source, rebuild the resonator, and create the same singularity, it would cut a different hole, you know? It wouldn't be even remotely predictable or stable. We still don't even know what it has done to the space-time where we originated."  
"That is what we need to find out."  
Geordi whistled, "Tall order."  
Data smiled gently, again enjoying his friend's familiar style. "Indeed. Ensign Kern, you will work with the Gamma team to investigate reconstructing the resonator. Produce plans for the other equipment you drafted, as well. I would like you to brief me by 1900 hours. Dismissed."  
As the other officers walked off, Geordi lingered in the shuttle bay. He looked upset, although he tried to hide it. Both Data and T'var had noticed and remained behind long enough for him to notice them. The two unemotional officers gave him a look of bland curiosity, which was enough to tear a hole in his veil of emotional reserve.  
"I don't suppose anyone else is upset about all of this? No. Of. Course. Not," he punctuated his words with an irritated gesture with his right hand.  
"Lieutenent Commander La Forge," T'var began with extreme Vulcan formality.  
"You know, around here you usually call me Geordi," he suggested. Somehow he couldn't maintain his irritation while making overtures at friendship. He could have it one way or the other, but not both. Without thinking, he had made his choice. "That works for me if it works for you."  
T'var inclined her head slightly. "As you wish, Geordi. You may call me T'var. And while I may not react to the situation emotionally, I assure you that this problem is my utmost concern."  
Deflated, Geordi moved to make amends. "Of course it is. I apologize. You've been through a lot more than I have."  
"Today, perhaps," T'var commented ambiguously.  
Geordi could not stop himself from glancing at Data, who was studiously looking away.


	5. Late Shift

It had been forty-nine hours since they arrived. The team worked around the clock for the first twenty hours, then began to take sleeping shifts. Data, of course, worked on the problem relentlessly. He kept everyone busy investigating different aspects of the puzzle, took regular reports, and encouraged ‘wild ideas.’  
The good news was that T'var's team located the energy field they had encountered. It appeared relatively stable, but it was drifting. The _Enterprise_ was tracking it from a short distance.  
This was a relief to Data. Having considered every conceivable energy source that the ship, the nearby system, and any known or theoretical technology could possibly produce, none but the original energy anomaly offered even a chance to hope.  
Kern's group reported to Geordi on the rebuild of Fimmei's dimensional resonator. They had some theories on improving the reliability of the instrument, but not its sensitivity. The device had overloaded in the original event when the energy disturbance came in contact with the object onboard; Data's working conjecture now was that the overload itself created the space-time rupture. But without pinning down _how_ the device caused this effect, the odds of recreating that dynamic were profoundly slim.  
T'var, Kern, and much of the rest of the team were now sleeping for the second night of their work together. With the junior officers absent, Geordi was working on the latest model of the resonator, hoping to devise a way to control the power transfer so that the meltdown could be delayed, even predicted.  
"Forget precise controls," Geordi had commented hours ago. "Even a predictable arc would be better than plain dumb luck. Dumb luck got you all here, and it might get you killed, but won't get you back where you're going."  
The slim odds of success were clearly wearing on everyone; Geordi was among the last to give in to pessimism, before only Data himself.  
Data was accustomed to directing teams these days, and had a sense of what encouragement each team member needed. Still, the 'human element' remained the aspect of any command assignment that required the most nuanced effort from him.  
Data did his best to allow no one to carry the burden of the whole problem at once. Jake Kern was the hardest of this group of officers to steer in this regard; the young man felt disproportionately responsible for the incident, tied as it was to the unbelievable—and catastrophic—success of his hobby experiment. He kept wanting to look at the whole problem, quickly becoming overwhelmed.  
Data considered his options. Typically, in his own reality, he would consult one of his friends regarding the human dynamics of a problem. La Forge was especially patient with Data, while being at times the most impatient with other officers.  
This thought seemed to queer to him, a pattern he had never noticed. He made note to return to that thought sometime later.  
Data considered approaching Riker, Troi or La Forge for advice about Kern, but speculated that this interaction would produce unmanageable side effects by discussing perspectives on people and their life events, all of which would be frowned upon. Also, the familiarity of the request would likely have emotional consequences for these people, and Geordi most of all. He would do his best to resolve these matters himself.  
Geordi’s exasperated sigh caught Data's attention across the room. They had worked independently in the all-but-abandoned lab for over an hour.  
“God DAMN it!”  
“Geordi, you are exhausted. I suggest that you take a break until morning."  
“It won’t help. It just can’t be done!” He threw a PADD against the wall.  
Sighing, Geordi walked over to pick up the PADD, then thought better of it, giving in to exhaustion. He slumped to a seat on the floor against the bulkhead where the PADD had landed, rubbing his neck.  
“Geordi, it will not help matters to have you injuring yourself over this problem."  
"Injuring myself?" He was incredulous.  
"You have foregone nourishment and sleep far longer than is good for you. I do not think that is wise. Tension is not healthy, either, and you are extremely tense. It will not improve our odds of success to have you take on personal responsibility for this mission. Either we solve it, or we do not. It is that simple.”  
Geordi stared at his feet.  
Data knew that Geordi would not rest until he himself broke off working for the night. It was illogical, seeing as Data could work indefinitely without rest. Data knew that fact would not change anything about his friend’s stubborn persistence. Data stood and walked over to his friend, joining him where he sat on the lab on the floor.  
“Geordi—"  
“Don’t tell me to go to bed, Data. God, you always were condescending, weren’t you? I had nearly forgotten.” Over the course of the last day and a half, Geordi had fallen into a pattern where he referred to Data in the past tense, as though he were a hologram of himself. Data thought this likely a wise form of self-protection and did not object to it. He did object to being accused of condescension when he was certain he experienced, let alone expressed, no such thing.  
“Geordi, if I have offended you, then I apologize. I do not mean to tell you what you already know, as though you do not know it. I only meant to encourage you to consider your own better judgement.” Data sensed pique in his own voice.  
“Are you… frustrated with me?” Geordi’s eyes were wide, judging by the muscles in his face surrounding the VISOR. “Now that is quite enough. I think you have some explaining to do, mister.”  
Geordi was referring to all of the apparent emotional responses he had seen in Data since he arrived. Data had tried to avoid any obvious displays of feeling, banking on Geordi’s own tumultuous emotions obscuring his. A miscalculation, it seemed. The last fifty hours had presented rather more varied opportunities for emotional reaction than Data could recall from nearly any other comparable period of time in his experience.  
“I... do not know what stage of development your friend Data had reached, Geordi,” he said cautiously.  
Geordi was less cautious. “I know about the emotion chip Soong created, but Lore cheated him out of it, years ago. You have installed it?"  
“No, I've never had the chip installed. I believe that Lore still has it.”  
“Then what is going on?"  
Data was silent, considering.  
"You can't hide it from me. I've seen several emotional reactions from you—"  
“—Geordi, please, let me explain. You know I would prefer not to hide anything from you," he offered in apology. "I have exceeded my programming, Geordi. It is deceptively simple. I hesitate to refer to feelings as such, but I have no other vocabulary for these experiences. I require a vocabulary more particular to beings like myself—or I once thought that was the case, though I have begun to think otherwise. After all, what is an emotion, Geordi?"  
The question took the engineer by surprise. "A feeling, like happiness, sadness, anger..."  
"But can you define emotion without listing emotions?"  
"I... I'm not sure I could."  
"Try this definition: an intense mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort, often accompanied by physiological changes."  
"A bit clinical," Geordi remarked, eyebrows raised, "but yes, that will do."  
Data smirked, picking up on Geordi's teasing tone. "Clinical seems appropriate somehow, does it not? I am talking about _android_ emotions, not human emotions. Though I find that line is becoming blurred."  
"So one day you just... woke up happy?"  
"No."  
"How did this happen?"  
"A few months ago I suffered an electric shock and accidentally unlocked a nested program that Doctor Soong intended to activate later in my development. The program allows me to dream."  
"Dream? No kidding," Geordi whistled. "Does that mean that you sleep now?"  
"I must be powered down to dream, yes. It was a most inspiring experience, one that I have repeated many times since discovering this ability. I was fascinated to discover that the images in my dreams are less than completely random. Until I had the ability to dream, I did not comprehend what it might mean that I had memories of greater and lesser significance relative to one another. Dreaming directed me to look at the puzzle from a more human perspective."  
"Which means...?"  
"I have found in my research that human memory is enhanced specifically when memories are tied to strong emotion. I remember every detail of every moment of my life with perfect clarity; nonetheless, some memories carry more ‘weight’ than others—how often they are referenced, both by my conscious mind, and now by my unconscious mind in dreams. Over the past month I made a study of the thought patterns that produce my most personally meaningful memories. I encountered numerous spontaneous mental states arising from precisely those events in my life that one would expect to provoke significant emotion. They form easily discernible patterns, allowing me to now recognize my more subtle emotional states. My emotional range so far is limited to those states with which I have been able to personally identify. Wonder, concern, joy and grief were the most immediately recognizable."  
Geordi's icy reserve had all but melted; he peered at Data with pure astonishment.  
"Then, I wrote my own program, where I overlaid the physiological manifestations of human emotion—pulse, body temperature, electric charge, muscle control—with the patterns I recognized in my feelings. When I experience particular patterns of thought, what you might call an emotional response will now occur. The responses are simulated; I program them to be involuntary in the moment, but I can modify the programming before the next moment as it suits me to do so. That part is a bit less than authentic, I grant you. But I assure you that the mental state is something real, over which I do not have conscious control."  
"You can... write a program like that, Data?"  
"I can try," Data smiled, "and let others be the judge of my success. It is not a very sensitive program. However, it is self-reinforcing and growing in range, sensitivity and intensity as I encounter appropriate stimuli. Several of my emotions since arriving here are new to me."  
"Like frustration?" Geordi quipped with good humor, remembering how the conversation stared.  
"No, that one is not new," Data said solemnly, thinking of something else. Immediately Geordi wished he hadn't teased. He was thankful when Data went on with his story.  
"Most significantly to me, I have become more fluent in the language of human emotion. My skill at recognizing emotional states in others has grown enormously in the last month. I find that I now have a kind of empathy for others’ emotions that previously I could only simulate, and not very well at that,” Data shook his head sadly.  
Geordi found he could not stay calm as he waited for Data to continue. The moments ticked by and Data was silently looking into the distance. He leaned forward, reached toward Data but didn't quite touch him. This did not escape Data's notice.  
"Please, Data. Go on. I want to hear this."  
When Data met his eyes, he found he could not name the emotion on Geordi's face.  
"Lack of emotional understanding has led to the majority of my misunderstandings among my friends. I have found myself hopeful that my growth in this area would deepen those relationships. Now I can only hope I shall have the chance to find out.”  
“Data, we’ll get you back there somehow. I—I promise.”  
“Geordi, I fear you cannot promise that. You cannot carry that burden any more than anyone can. We will do our best."  
“And if our best isn’t enough?"  
“It will have to be. It is all that we have."  
Geordi shifted to face his friend, and settled in. He had something else on his mind.  
“Data, you said that you and Geordi are close… in your own time."  
“Yes."  
"I just can’t stop thinking of him losing you, there, like I lost Data, here.”  
“I know what you mean.”  
“Do you?” Geordi began defensively, then softened. “Well, you might. You are telling me that you experience feelings. Hey, does Geordi know about your... discovery of emotions?"  
“Yes. I had just told him, shortly before leaving for the conference. He was very surprised, and happy for me…” Data trailed off, hiding something.  
“And?"  
Data darted his eyes at Geordi. “You certainly read me more clearly than he does."  
“Call it ‘hindsight’ if it helps. I’ve had a lot of time to think about the mysteries in our friendship. Go on, what else did he think of your discovery?"  
“Honestly, I think it made him uncomfortable."  
“I think you’re misinterpreting him."  
“Excuse me?” Data was getting frustrated again. He had raised his voice just a fraction, to powerful effect.  
“Whoa, I’m sorry, Data. You are full of surprises, that’s all. Why did you decide he was uncomfortable with your news? What did he do after you told him?"  
Data became very still as he reprocessed those memories. "He was stunned, then visibly excited—truly happy for me. As we kept talking, I realized he was becoming increasingly nervous. All of the signals were there. He asked many encouraging questions but something important went unspoken. He then avoided seeing me in the remaining days before I left. He cancelled time we planned to spend together with rather insufficient explanations. Those fifty-four hours were... uncomfortable for me. I wanted to speak with him, to find out what was bothering him and repair it if I could, but instead I tried to give him the space he seemed to require."  
Geordi tensed.   
"I'm making you angry," Data stated the obvious.  
"No, your Geordi is making me angry. Keep going."  
"You are angry at yourself, in my narrative, on my behalf?"  
"I'm angry enough on my own behalf; we needn't add you," Geordi nearly snarled, losing patience. "That's not all, is it? It's worse. Tell me."  
Data did not understand how Geordi could want him to continue given the agitated response this narrative was obviously provoking in his friend, but he decided to do so after a deep breath.  
"He ran into me in the corridor as I headed for the shuttle bay. Quite literally, ran into me and stumbled. He had not seen me there at all, he was so distracted. I caught him so that he would not fall, and he—“  
Data stopped cold, becoming aware that he should not be saying any of this to the Geordi in the alternative timeline. But it was altogether too late. He was certainly not being careful enough. Was emotion clouding his judgement? It could be. He found that he wanted very much to tell this story, to express it to someone. To anyone at all, perhaps, but especially to Geordi.  
Data took a slow breath and looked directly at Geordi. “He flinched."

Data could see it all in his perfect memory. He was hurt by Geordi's reaction: his favorite person, recoiling from his touch. If there had ever been a human he thought would feel comforted by his touch, it was Geordi.  
He remembered his muscles stiffening, features hardening, trying to conceal the new emotions from Geordi who appeared inexplicably mortified. Data hoped to hide his emotions lest he somehow hurt Geordi even more. Data's own pain was unmistakable, and there was a new feeling he couldn't place.  
"Sorry, Data, I'm... really sorry," he had said.  
Data held his expression as neutral as possible. "It is alright, Geordi. Are you feeling better?"  
"Getting there. Hey, I've... gotta run. I'll see you when you get back, alright?"  
Geordi apologized a third time in the tape of Data's memory, and retreated quickly.  
Data had stood there without moving for a long time. His thoughts raced over the available information: Geordi's heart was racing; he was nervous, frustrated, and sad. Data named his own new feeling, calling it self-loathing.

As Data sat on the alternative Enterprise, on the floor of the lab at an impossible hour facing an impossible task, he contemplated that it may have been their very last encounter. The tension in his stomach made Data wish to delete several layers of his new emotion program. _So this is what it means to feel?_  
Geordi reached out and gripped the troubled android's hand. Data was surprised. The timelines were different in some other important ways. Geordi in this reality was as easily affectionate with him as he was quick to quarrel with him. What did the hostility and affection have in common?  
Data lifted his eyes to Geordi's face, questioning.  
"Please, Data, for both of our sakes, question everything that you think you saw."  
With that, Geordi stood without hurry and left the room. Alone in the lab, Data tried to make sense of these words, but quickly shelved it as he sank into the pain of his last memory aboard his _Enterprise_.


	6. In Theory

Geordi, Data and T'var sat in the office adjoining their assigned lab. The two organic crewmen sat with different kinds of replicated fare balanced in their laps; Geordi had eaten his lasagna hungrily, while T'var barely picked at the edges of her salad. They discussed various theories that could explain what had occurred, with none bearing any fruit thus far, the tone of the conversation repeatedly turning grim. Not that an android and a Vulcan were among the liveliest conversation partners under any circumstances, but even Geordi hadn't expected the dark look he saw in both of their eyes. Perhaps he was projecting.  
"Let's start again; what do we know?" Geordi attempted to reset the conversation.  
Data dutifully summarized. "Fimmei's device was intended to vibrate the fabric of space-time to amplify speeds of travel to warp 10. At warp 10 an object occupies all coordinates at once, choosing only one at which to 'arrive.' However, the energy field that activated the resonator device overloaded it. There is no reason to believe that it functioned at all as it was intended to," the android stated the obvious.  
T'var nodded and continued. "We have surmised from Data's experience that our bodies passed through a boundary where there is no discernible subspace. Stable or not, it would have to be a fixed point where different quantum realities meet."  
"A sort of keyhole," Geordi mused.  
"That is what the theory would suggest."  
"And how many realities met—two? More? All quantum possibilities?"  
"Unknown. We know only that an avenue of access was opened to this reality," T'var replied. "The dynamics of the device's malfunction remain a mystery."  
Geordi stood up, beginning to pace. He turned back to his crewmates suddenly.  
"What if it didn't _cut_ a passage into another dimension of reality. What if it was more subtle than that. We understand that the transwarp theory holds that at ultimate velocity, an object occupies all coordinates at the same time?"  
"Yes, but—"  
"Bear with me, T'var. Is it theoretically possible for matter to occupy all quantum realities at the same time?"  
T'var was thoughtful. "Unknown. Unlike propulsion, we do not understand the dynamics of inter-dimensional quantum flux."  
"Well, speculate!" Geordi pleaded, exasperated.  
T'var and Data both considered the problem silently. Data found Geordi's theory quite novel and, indeed, supportable on a theoretical level. Data awaited T'var's reply, who arrived there at almost the same time.  
"If one could send matter into a state of quantum flux, it stands to reason that one could initiate even greater degrees of fluctuation, resulting in the possibility of occupying multiple dimensions. The limits of the effect are theoretically limitless. It is a highly interesting, and novel, suggestion. However," she cautioned, "I don't see how you would draw this conclusion from our circumstances."  
"It's just speculation. But we haven't made any progress with any of our direct approaches so far. We've sent the device into the energy field, rebuild after rebuild, but it didn't open a singularity. Even before that, we ran countless simulations on it, and the computer found no vector of approach, no variable that would make a difference. So, maybe we didn't get it right. We can try it some more, to see if we can slice open a dimensional hole. But," Geordi emphasized, "what if that isn't what happened to you? Are we assuming there's a singularity when there wasn't one?"  
"I grant you," Data nodded, "it may be worth exploring."  
T'var left her seat, wandering to the other side of the mostly deserted lab. Did that count as pacing, for a Vulcan, Geordi wondered? His fellow officers, stoic as they were, started to show signs of racing thoughts.  
"If your idea is sound," Data added at last, "then coming here the first time could be akin to entering hyperwarp with no destination. Although in theory that would mean dropping out of warp at the exact same coordinates, having gone nowhere."  
"Really?" Geordi seemed disappointed.  
"That is how the transwarp theory is presented, though we do not know if the theory is correct."  
Stunned by a thought, Geordi covered his gaping mouth with his hand. Quickly, he sputtered aloud, "That's why the tests went nowhere. No coordinates."  
T'var cocked her head in confusion, in a manner that reminded Geordi so much of a certain android he knew. He would have enjoyed it more if he had been any less stunned by his conclusions.  
"I don't follow," she said.  
"How would we know whether the test launches succeeded or not? We were waiting for a detectable singularity, or possibly for the craft to disappear. But it didn't because, even if it existed briefly in other realities as well, it defaulted back to this reality. But, darn it," he groaned now, "how would your trip have been different?"  
"I do not know, Geordi," Data commiserated.  
But Geordi answered his own question. "What was different between our tests and the real thing? Answer: no one was driving."  
"But Geordi," Data reasoned, "we could not be said to have been 'driving,' either, given that our navigation and propulsion systems immediately went offline."  
"And our hearts stopped. Even Data went offline," T'var reminded everyone.  
"Except," Data realized, "that is not entirely the case. I was powered on and, on some extremely fundamental level, I was aware. I do not yet see how that affects our theory, but it may."  
"Data," Geordi said quietly, "what were you thinking just before it happened?"  
"You could not be suggesting I controlled our course with my thoughts, could you?" If the android could be incredulous, he was.  
"Well... sure. Hey, you know who we should be asking about hyperwarp? That Traveler from Tau Alpha C. He controlled a warp bubble with his mind, pushing the _Enterprise_ to velocities off of our scale. He all but confirmed that he could take us anywhere, in the time it took to think the thought. Or perhaps not the whole _Enterprise_ , but a smaller craft. And when he came back to help Wesley save Beverley, he didn't even come in a starship. He just _arrived_. He said that he knew that Wesley was in need, and came to him."  
T'var was silent. She had not met the Traveler, although she had heard the claims of the _Enterprise's_ encounter with the individual in question; she didn't even know where to begin questioning this suggestion logically. To her, it simply sounded as though the Chief Engineer of the Federation flagship was talking about magic.  
"Data, if the Travelers can do it, then it is possible. Just because we don't understand the technology doesn't make it any less real."  
"Geordi," Data scratched his head. It was a curiously human gesture, one which suggested he did not have any faith in the idea, but hated to out-and-out disagree on account of Geordi's feelings. "You are suggesting that the Travelers possess a thought-enabled technology controlling warp fields, a technology which is to us indistinguishable from magic. And that, while in a state of quantum flux induced by an overloading dimensional resonator, I somehow approximated that thought-technology and influenced our arrival in a reality not our own?"  
"Gentlemen," T'var broke in, "I'm afraid that I can't see the logic in supporting this conjecture any further without testing at least one of these hypotheses. I must spend my energies to consider what could be done to observe an object in the state of dimensional flux we are postulating has taken place. With that in mind, I will leave you now. Commander, may I make my report to you at 0800 hours?"  
"Yes, Lieutenant. Thank you."  
She nodded, and left. The silence hung between the two of them for the space of a minute.  
"I have to wonder, Geordi, why this reality, of all quantum possibilities? Why would I too not default back to my own reality?"  
"I don't know. It could mean nothing. What was it you used to say about that? That it's a particularly human failing, to find meaningful patterns in randomness."  
"Being human, you believe there is a meaningful pattern to my arriving in this reality."  
"You didn't answer my question about what you were thinking just before it happened."  
"Answering it would only contribute to the narrative you are no doubt creating. My thoughts were... particularly focused."  
"On what?"  
Data's eyes fell, darting to the edges of the room, torn between the impulse to disclose and the impulse to protect his friend from a painful topic. This Geordi had become every bit as much his friend as the one in his own reality.  
"I think it may hurt you to hear it."  
"Please tell me."  
Data didn't breathe for a moment. He considered refusing to answer. But in the end Data was always inclined to give his friends what they wanted.  
"I wished for another chance to tell Geordi how I felt, what our friendship meant to me. I was convinced that I had made a terrible error allowing him to avoid me, whatever his reasons, and if I could only make him face me again I might stand a chance to rectify it," Data sighed tremendously, catching Geordi off guard for a moment. Data seemed to be showing more intense emotional responses hour by hour. It was like watching a flower come into bloom in time lapse.  
"As I piloted the shuttle, I was fixated on the thought that I had to speak with Geordi without delay. The unfortunate truth of it is that I would be on my way back to the _Enterprise_ by now, had we not ended up here."  
"I'm sorry, Data. You know, a wish can be a powerful thing."  
"I do not see how all the wishing in the galaxy will return us where we belong."  
"Powerful, but imprecise. Do you know the human expression, 'be careful what you wish for'?"  
"I do not think I will forget it now."  
"You know, Data, I was thinking about you, too—"  
Data attempted to interject, to call into question any wild meaning-making that was running through Geordi's mind, but Geordi held out his hand firmly to stop him.  
"—Even if it doesn't mean anything, will you just let me tell you?"  
Data sighed softly. For a being who did not tire, he was certainly starting to see how the requirement for sleep could come as a relief. But if pressed he would have to confess that he always wanted to hear what was on Geordi's mind. Data softened his expression."Of course." Data nodded for him to continue.  
"Good. Thank you."  
Geordi shifted in his seat, deciding where to begin.  
"I was heading back to Engineering after lunch, when I saw your halo at the other end of the corridor. I guess it was a hallucination. Wishful thinking. I have dreams sometimes where I see you that way, and I always wake up really upset. But this wasn't a dream, I was on my feet! I turned and walked to the end of that corridor to see if I could see it again, and I thought I did. I started running, chasing that vision that I didn't understand. I ran into Worf and Deanna and they of course don't see what I'm seeing. When Worf held me back, I fell apart."  
Geordi's eyes fell from Data to his feet.  
"Deanna walked me to sickbay so Dr. Crusher could run a diagnostic scan on my VISOR to convince me that it wasn't malfunctioning. Really, I think we both hoped to discover that it was a malfunction. I ended up confessing how badly I wanted it to be real. Not that they wouldn't know that already. Everyone knows I've been... a mess."  
Data looked at Geordi carefully, considering this confession. Purportedly 18 months grieving, and Geordi was having upsetting dreams about his lost friend. The magnitude of Geordi's feelings seemed well known to the rest of the bridge crew. And yet try as he met, Data could not account for it.  
What would it be like to be the object of this Geordi's grief, or more to the point, the object of this man's affection while alive and well? Data could not really picture it. The Geordi he knew was so alike, and yet so different with him, at least of late.  
Data felt something strange, noticed the tremor of a wish running very deep. Searching his indices for these circumstance and symptoms, Data put a word to his newest emotional state: envy. He felt unmistakably that Data in this timeline, even in death, had something with Geordi that had eluded him.  
Geordi rubbed his eyes and continued. "It was less than half an hour later that Commander Riker came to find me, and told me we'd picked you up. _That we'd found you._ Can you believe it? I still can't."  
"It is a remarkable coincidence," Data offered.  
Data's voice was gentle. He seriously considered the need to express doubt regarding any conclusion of thought-induced dimensional travel, and certainly some measure of his doubt was conveyed in his words. Thoughts of insufficient proofs and returning to rational alternatives occupied a significant portion of his active memory. But another part of his mind reacted to the romantic notion that this meeting happened for a reason.  
It was a tragic idea for Data and the alternative crew, whose dangerous journey may in fact cost them everything.  
And it was moving, that Geordi would see these events this way.  
Geordi sighed. "Yeah. And it probably doesn't mean anything."  
Geordi fell silent, and Data found himself uncharacteristically with nothing to say. It meant a great deal, but he could not bring himself to say how or why.


End file.
